


White Christmas

by BurningRain



Category: Negan - Fandom, The Walking Dead
Genre: F/M, Negan/OFC - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-01-18
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:44:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9377246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurningRain/pseuds/BurningRain
Summary: This was written for a writing challenge on Tumblr whose theme was Christmas.





	

The sanctuary was a cold, hard place without him, so much so that the bitter bite of daybreak winds seemed inviting by contrast. It was so easy to lose ones self in the warm glow that followed him wherever he went that she hadn't even noticed that she had. That is, until he had left and the pervasive glow of warmth had started to fade into the creeping chill of late December.

He should have been back already and while she feigned composure and nonchalance for the sake of the others, worry and panic had started to close in on her to the point of suffocation. She needed air.

The sanctuary echoed in sleepy silence as she moved through the shadows. Not but a few knew how to get to the roof and she would keep it that way. The sight she was met with as the door creaked open took her breath away. A blanket of snow two feet deep, perfectly unsullied. She'd never seen real snow before and was in complete awe of the way it lay so softly over everything. She took a moment to prop the door open a crack so she could get back in and ventured out into the secret- hideout- turned- winter- wonderland. Snowflakes fell silently all around her and glinted softly in the gentle rays of dawn's frost light. It was almost perfect but she couldn't help the ache in her chest at wishing she couldshare this moment with her beloved.

She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had come out to get away from such worries, rather than dwell on them. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the icy wind Billie through her hair and nip at her cheeks.

The metallic screech of the door behind her caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. She whipped around and felt her heart skip into a roaring pace. A smile pulled itself across her face as she ran to him. He smiled back and moved to bridge the gap between them. She stopped when she was but a few feet away, only now seeing clearly the state he was in. He looked like hell. A painful looking scrape marred one cheek whose corresponding brow bore a dark bruise. His lip was busted and bled slightly as his warm smile faded to exhaustion as he leaned up against one of the drying posts that had likely never been used.

She closed the finale paces between them, hesitating before placing a hand on the side of his face not bruised and bloodied. He leaned into her touch, eyes fluttering shut as her warmth welcomed him home. He reached out to her and pulled her close, needing more of that feeling of home he'd been missing from the moment he'd stepped outside the gates. She stayed perfectly still in his embrace being unsure of the extent of his injuries and afraid of causing him more pain.

She stroked her thumb across his cheek above his beard and felt the slick of fresh tears. She tried to pull back to look at him but his grip tightened, keeping her pressed tightly to his chest. She settled instead for rubbing circles on his back as hot tears continued to trickle between her fingers and into his beard.

"Tell me." She whispered. His breathing grew ragged and he let out a strangled sob. His head bowed and his trembling lips pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her hair. She turned her head and placed a gentle kiss to the hollow of his thirst. "You aren't alone, Negan, you don't have to do this alone. Let me carry some of this for you, baby. Let me share the load." He was well and earnestly trembling now and she feared that in this state he might collapse. He drew in another shaky breath before opening his mouth to speak.

"We were ambushed. I.... I couldn't.... I tried to call to them but the dead.... they couldn't hear me over the sc-screaming. We l-lost so many. Nobody could hear over all the screaming.... th- they're gone... the screaming..." His breathing came in short bursts and she felt herself supporting most of his weight. She continued to hold him, swaying gently back and forth and shushing him gently.

After his breathing slowed and the tears no longer fell, she pulled back to look at him. Stunning hazel orbs stared back at her from red-rimmed lids. She reached up on her tiptoes to place a tender kiss to his swollen lips. The kiss was slow and lingering and left a tingling sensation running all the way down to the tips of her toes. She sunk back into the flats of her feet and opened her eyes to see him still standing there with his eyes closed. When his eyes did flutter open she was gifted with a smile so radiant that it crinkled the corners of his eyes and the bridge of his nose. She couldn't help but smile back, feeling a familiar glow filling up the space between them.

"We should get you inside, baby, you need medical attention." She cradled his chin gently and inspected his face.

"It's. it as bad as it looks, sweetheart, the only attention I need is yours." His voice was hoarse from having been crying. "Besides, this is your first snow. We aren't wasting it indoors." He straightened up stiffly, clearly trying to fake away the pain she could see in his every movement. She started to object but he silenced her with a slender finger pressed lightly to her lips. "Baby, come make snow angels with me." He backed away slowly, her hand still twined with his as she followed. She watched as he eased himself down in the snow that was beginning to get quite deep. He got himself settled and looked up at her hopefully. She rolled her eyes, trying to suppress a smile and plopped down in the snow an arms length away. She gasped at the cold and heard him chuckle next to her.

"Hush you!" She took a handful of snow and tossed it in his general direction, satisfied when she heard him cry out in shock. She smiled to herself as she slid her arms and legs through the snow and heard Negan doing the same a few feet away.

The first time his boot caught her leg she thought it was accidental. Fourth, fifth, and sixth times and it was clear he was being a little shit.

"Hey, don't start what you can't finish Old Man!" The sounds of movement next to her ceased and she wondered if she had hit a nerve when a pile of snow came out of nowhere and landed smack in the middle of her face, making her shriek.

She sat bolt upright, dusting snow off her face and glaring down at him playfully. He narrowed his eyes back, daring her to do something about it. She got on all fours, crawling slowly towards him like a predator stalking its prey. She drew close to him never breaking eye contact, holding it as she hovered over him and only breaking to smile cheekily and place a feather light kiss to his lips.

His arm pulled her close, tucking her into his side as they lay together and watched the snow fall all around them in contented silence. They lay there until morning's light flooded the sky and painted shadowed contrasts in the landscape. 

She sat up, meeting his weary gaze with a sad smile as looked closely at the damage to his face. She took a small handful of powdery snow and pressed it gently to his bloodied check where it had started to swell. He smiled up at her lovingly and she felt her heart break a little. Between the stunning smile, big hazel eyes framed in shamefully long eyelashes trapped with snowflakes, and those damned dimples that begged to be kissed, she was overwhelmed with love and relief to have him safe and in her arms.

"C'mon, let's go get you warmed up." Her voice was barely above a whisper insulated by the freshly fallen snow.

 

She had stepped away for a moment to pack up the first aid supplies she had used to treat his face. It was nothing too terrible, nothing some neosporin and a few butterfly stitches couldn't fix, but it still hurt seeing him that way. She returned to see the massive pile of blankets she had wrapped him in slumped over on the bed where he snores softly underneath. She padded over softly and climbed cautiously into bed, not wanting to disturb him. She was almost asleep herself when a pair of string arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her tightly against his chest. She sighed happily, reaching back to stroke his hair as he nuzzled into her neck.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart." He mumbled sleepily.

"Merry Christmas, Negan My Love."

And all was right.


End file.
